Method for modifying notifications in an electronic device

ABSTRACT

An embodiment relates to a novel apparatus and method for changing modes of notification in an electronic device. An electronic device includes a calendar application and a variety of other applications such as the message reader application or the daily alarm application. The device is configured to use the calendar application to track whether and how the user is notified of the receipt of an electronic. In one embodiment, the user specifically associates a profile behavior to the calendar entry when the calendar entry is first created.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present application relates generally to electronic devices and moreparticularly to a method for modifying notifications in an electronicdevice.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic devices can provide a variety of functions includingnotifying users of various events throughout the day. Electronic devicescan include several different types of devices including desktopcomputers or mobile stations such as simple cell phones, smarttelephones, wireless PDAs, and laptops with wireless 802.11 or bluebookchip sets. These devices run on a wide variety of networks fromdata-only networks such as Mobitex and DataTAC to complex voice and datanetworks such as GSM/GPRS, CDMA, EDGE, UMTS and W-CDMA networks. Eventsthat can require notification include receiving a telephone call by acell phone or a regular telephone. Other events can include receiving ane-mail or fax by a chiming of the daily alarm or alarm notifying theuser of an upcoming appointment.

Although notifications are useful in alerting users of various events,they can also be a source of constant interruption, annoyance and evenembarrassment. Users of devices with notification functions can faceconstant interruption and distraction as the devices ring or vibrateloudly at inappropriate times and places. For example, cell phones ringloudly in the middle of lectures, exams, movies, meetings, performancesor various ceremonies. Such inopportune ringing causes embarrassment forthe user of the device, interrupts the event and distracts the otherparticipants. Moreover, in circumstances where there is a liveperformance, a lecture or an actual person performing a ceremony, theringing (or any other loud method of notification) distracts thelecturer or the performer and can ruin the event. Another example is thechiming of the notification function on an electronic device during animportant meeting, perhaps in the middle of an intense conversation orduring court proceedings or cross-examination of witnesses. Once again,the chiming of the notification function can cause embarrassment to theowner of the device, can interrupt the mood of the event and cangenerally disrupt the entire event.

These problems have become so widespread that organizers of events havestarted speaking out and some have started taking precautions. Forexample, most lectures and movie theatres post signs asking people toturn off their cellular phones and personal digital devices. Also, it isnot uncommon for the chair of meetings, or the fist speaker of anyproceeding to politely remind all participants to turn off their cellphones or other electronic devices.

In an effort to solve this problem, manufacturers have come up withdevices that have different modes of notification, such as vibrationsand visual alerts, so that users can change the mode of notification ifthey are attending functions where interruptions are a serious problem.However, these devices fall short of solving the problem of audiblenotifications in inappropriate times and offer only a limited controlfor the user to reduce the problem. One of the short comings is that theuser has to remember to manually change the method of notification atthe right time. Many users do not put their mind to changing the methodof notification, until the device goes off in the middle of the eventcausing the embarrassments, interruptions and distractions describedabove. Moreover, in an effort to quickly change the method ofnotification, users may mistakenly choose an even louder or just asdistractive mode of notification and do not notice their mistake untilthe device goes off in the middle of the event, causing the sameembarrassments, interruptions and distractions referred to above. Theuser needs to manually invoke these alternative notification methodseach time s/he wants to change the method of notification. Anotherproblem arises because the mode of notification does not get switchedback to the “default” mode after the event is over. The user has toremember to turn notification back on to “default mode”. Many usersforget to turn notification back to the “default mode” and end upmissing important appointments, phone calls or voicemails. Further, theuser may turn off the device prior to the event, and may forget to turnthe device back on, causing notifications to be visible instead ofaudible. This may have consequences for users that are very dependant ontheir electronic devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object to provide a novel system, apparatus and method forchanging methods of notification that obviates or mitigates at least oneof the above-identified disadvantages.

According to one aspect, there is provided a computing device comprisingat least one output device which emits notification signals and amicrocomputer which processes a first and a second event. Themicrocomputer instructs the output device to emit notification signalsin accordance to a notification mode. The notification mode is derivedfrom at least one (and possibly a set of) criteria associated with atleast one of the mentioned first and second events.

The electronic device can be a wireless personal digital assistant, apersonal computer, a cell telephone, a smart telephone or any otherdevice that can signal users of the occurrence of events. Signals usedto notify users can be audible, mechanical, inaudible, or combinationsthereof.

The first event, mentioned above, can be an appointment, in for example,a calendar application, and it can be associated with a predefinednotification mode. The second event can be either the receipt of anelectronic message or the going off of a daily alarm, each of which theuser would normally be notified of by a signal from the device. Theelectronic device can also include the functionality of a telephone andthe second event can also be the receipt of a telephone call, which theuser would normally be notified of by a signal from the device. Thesignal from the device can be in accordance with a notification modeassociated with the first event or it can be selected based on apredefined characteristic of the first event such as a string ofcharacters included in the first event. The first and second events canoccur in different applications stored on the device and theirrespective modes of notification can be based on a plurality of profilesconfigurable for each application.

The microcomputer can be operable to execute a calendar application anda message reader application and the first event can be an appointmentin the calendar application and the second event can be a receipt of anemail by the message reader application.

One of the criteria that can affect the mode of notification is thephysical location that is sensed by the device. For example, the devicecan be a personal digital assistant and the physical location can be adocking cradle. Furthermore, the device can be a bluetooth device andthe physical location can be a proximity to another bluetooth device.

In another aspect there is provided, a method for modifyingnotifications in an electronic device comprising the steps of,performing a first event, performing a second event during the firstevent, deriving a notification mode based on at least one criterionassociated with at least one of the events, and, generating a signalaccording to the notification mode.

In yet another aspect, there is provided an electronic device comprisingat least one output device for emitting a plurality of differentsignals, a microcomputer operable to maintain a calendar appointment andoperable to receive an electronic message such that when the electronicmessage is received during the calendar appointment, the microcomputerderives a notification mode associated with the calendar appointment andinstructs the output device to emit one of the signals according to thenotification mode.

In still another aspect, there is provided a method of modifyingnotifications in an electronic device comprising the steps ofmaintaining a calendar appointment, receiving an electronic messageduring the calendar appointment, deriving a notification mode associatedwith the calendar appointment and generating a signal according to thenotification mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, withreference to the attached figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an electronic device formodifying notifications in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of certain internal components within thedevice in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the main menu screen displaying aplurality of applications including a calendar, a notification setup, amessage reader and a daily alarm;

FIG. 4 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the calendar applicationdisplaying a plurality of individual appointments for the date of Jan.31, 2000;

FIG. 5 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the notification setupapplication displaying a plurality of default modes of notification;

FIG. 6 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the message reader applicationdisplaying a plurality of emails received;

FIG. 7 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the daily alarm applicationdisplaying a designated time and an ON/OFF setting for the alarm;

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart depicting a method for modifying notificationsettings in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the message reader applicationhaving received a new email at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000;

FIG. 10 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the calendar application,showing that at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device isin a departmental meeting;

FIG. 11 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the message reader applicationnotifying the receipt of the email in FIG. 9 by a flashing light fromthe LED indicator;

FIG. 12 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the message reader applicationreceiving a new email at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000;

FIG. 13 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the calendar application,showing that at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device isin the middle of a dentist appointment;

FIG. 14 shows the device of FIG. 1 with message reader applicationnotifying the receipt of the email in FIG. 12 by producing a sound fromthe speaker;

FIG. 15 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the message reader applicationreceiving a new email at 2:00 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000;

FIG. 16 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the calendar application,showing that at 2:00 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device doesnot have any appointments scheduled;

FIG. 17 is a schematic representation of another embodiment with thenotification setup application displaying a plurality of methods ofnotification;

FIG. 17 a shows the device of FIG. 17 with the calendar applicationdisplaying a plurality of individual appointments for the date of Jan.31, 2000;

FIG. 18 is a schematic representation of yet another embodiment with themain menu screen displaying a plurality of applications including anapplication called profile string matcher, as well as the calendar,notification setup, message reader and daily alarm applications;

FIG. 19 shows the device of FIG. 18, with the profile string matcherapplication displaying a plurality of strings, each associated with adifferent mode of notification;

FIG. 20 shows the device of FIG. 18, with the calendar applicationdisplaying a plurality of individual appointments for Feb. 1, 2000;

FIG. 21 shows a flow chart depicting a method for modifying notificationsettings in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 22 shows the device of FIG. 18 with the message reader applicationhaving received a new email at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2000;

FIG. 23 shows the device of FIG. 18 with the calendar application,showing that the description of the appointment at 4:30 p.m. includesthe word “meeting”;

FIG. 24 shows a flow chart depicting a set of substeps that can be usedto perform one of the steps shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 25 shows the device of FIG. 18 with the profile string matcherapplication showing that the string “meeting” is associated with theprofile “Quiet”.

FIG. 26 shows the device of FIG. 18 with the message reader applicationhaving received a new email at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2000;

FIG. 27 shows the device of FIG. 18 with the calendar applicationshowing that at 6:30 p.m. the user is scheduled to have dinner withBill;

FIG. 28 shows the device of FIG. 18 with the message reader applicationhaving received a new email at 8:30 p.m.;

FIG. 29 shows the device of FIG. 18 with the calendar application havingno appointments scheduled at 8:30 p.m.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an electronic device for modifying notifications,in accordance with an embodiment is indicated generally at 20. In thisembodiment, electronic device 20, is based on the computing environmentand functionality of a wireless personal digital assistant. It is,however, to be understood that electronic device 20 can include theconstruction and functionality of other electronic devices, such asdesktop computers, cell phones, smart telephones, and laptops withwireless 802.11 or bluebook chip sets and the like. In one embodiment,electronic device 20 includes, a housing 24, which frames an LCD display28, a speaker 36, an LED indicator 40, a trackwheel 44, an exit key 46and key pad 48. Trackwheel 44 and exit key 46 can be inwardly depressedalong the path of arrow “A” as a means to provide additional user-input.It will be understood that housing 24, can be made from any suitablematerial as will occur to those of skill in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of certain internal componentswithin device 20 are shown. Device 20 is based on a microcomputer thatincludes a processor 50 that is connected to a read-only-memory (“ROM”)54, which contains a plurality of applications executable by processor50 that enables device 20 to perform certain functions. Processor 50 isalso connected to a random access memory unit (“RAM”) 58 and apersistent storage 60 which are responsible for various nonvolatilestorage functions of device 20. Processor 50 can send output signals tovarious output devices including display 28, speaker 36, LED indicator40, each of which generate specific outputs as instructed by processor50. Processor 50, can also receive input from various input devicesincluding trackwheel 44, exit key 46 and keyboard 48. Processor 50 isalso connected to an internal clock 61 and a modem and radio 62 (notshown). Modem and radio 62 can be connected to various wireless networksthrough an antenna 64.

Device 20 is operable to execute various applications stored in ROM 54.Referring now to FIG. 3, device 20 is shown with a main menu screen 66,that displays a system clock 68 which is updated according to internalclock 61 (not shown). Main menu screen 66 also displays a plurality ofapplications that are executable on processor 50. In one embodiment,such displayed applications include a calendar 70, a notification setup74, a message reader 82, a daily alarm 86. When executed on processor50, these applications cause device 20 to operate in various ways, aswill be discussed further below. Trackwheel 44 can be used to scrollthrough the applications and to select a desired application by pressinginwardly, along the path of arrow A, on trackwheel 44. Exit key 46 canbe used to exit any application by pressing inwardly, along the path ofarrow A, on exit key 46.

Referring now to FIG. 4, device 20 is shown displaying the day'sschedule 100 for Jan. 31, 2000 using the application called calendar 70on display 28. Schedule 100 includes a plurality of individualappointments 104 and 112. As illustrated in FIG. 4, appointment 104 is adepartmental meeting, from 10:00-11:00 a.m., and appointment 112 is adentist appointment, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Appointment 104 has a“no-speaker” icon 108 associated with it, while appointment 112 has aspeaker icon 114 associated with it. Speaker icon 114 and “no-speaker”icon 108 will be discussed in greater detail below. Calendar 70 alsodisplays a clock 68 that shows the current date and time according tointernal clock 61 maintained in device 20.

Referring now to FIG. 5, device 20 is shown displaying the default modesof notification 110 using the application called notification setup 74on display 28, comprising an audible mode 116 and an inaudible mode 120.Audible mode 116 is also associated with speaker icon 114 and inaudiblemode 120 is also associated with “no-speaker” icon 108. As shown in FIG.5, there is a “check-mark” 124 beside speaker icon 114, indicating thatthe default mode of notification for the present example is audible mode116. Using trackwheel 44, check-mark 124 can also be placed beside“no-speaker” icon 108, indicating that the default mode of notificationis inaudible mode 120.

Referring now to FIG. 6, device 20 is shown displaying a plurality ofemails 130 using the application called message reader 82 on display 28.Emails 130 are received through a wireless network (not shown), thatconnects to device 20 via modem and radio 62 through antenna 64. Emails130 have a series of information association with them, including, dateof receipt 134, time of receipt 138, name of sender 142, subject line146, and an envelope icon 150, that can be either opened or closed,indicating whether the email has been opened. Each email 130 can alsohave an exclamation mark 154 associated with it, indicating that themessage is marked urgent by the sender. Trackwheel 44 can be used toscroll through individual emails 130, and inwardly depressed to openeach individual email 130. Exit key 46 can be inwardly depressed to exiteach individual email. For example in FIG. 6, it is shown that email 158sent by Murphy Brown, at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, is not markedurgent, has the subject line: “Re.: Meeting” and has not been opened.Similarly, email 162 sent by Jason Peterson at 8:10 a.m., is markedurgent, has the subject line: “New File” and has not been opened.Message reader 82 also includes clock 68, which functions as previouslydescribed in relation to calendar 70.

Referring now to FIG. 7, device 20 is shown displaying a designated“Time” 170 and an “ON/OFF” setting 174 using the application calleddaily alarm 86 in display 28. As seen in FIG. 7, “Time” 170 isassociated with a specific time of the day and “ON/OFF” setting 174 canbe either on or off. Accordingly, at 9:00 a.m. each day, an alarm willbe generated by device 20 as shown in FIG. 7. The operation of alarm 86will be discussed further in detail below.

A method for modifying notifications in accordance with anotherembodiment will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart shownin FIG. 8 and is indicated generally at 500. In order to assist in theexplanation of method 500, reference will be made to the foregoingdiscussion of device 20. In order to further assist in the explanationof method 500, the sequence of steps in method 500 shall be followed inconnection to a series of examples using device 20. In these examples,it will be assumed that device 20 receives a series of emails atdifferent times during the day.

As demonstrated in the flow chart in FIG. 8, information is received bydevice 20 at step 550. In the case of the present example, and referringnow to FIG. 9, it is to be assumed that the information received is anemail and that the email received by device 20 at this step is email178. Email 178 from David Smith, is received at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 31,2000 and is not marked urgent. At step 555, the time of receipt 138 ofthe information is determined. Referring to FIG. 9, time of receipt 138of email 178, is determined to be 10:30 a.m. At this point, the methodadvances to step 560 where it is determined whether time of receipt 138is during any of appointments marked in calendar 70. If time of receipt138 is during one of such appointments, the method then advances to step580. However, if time of receipt 138 is not during any of these times,the method advances to step 570. In connection with email 178, andreferring now to FIG. 10, it is determined that time of receipt 138 isduring appointment 104 and the method, advances to step 580. At step580, it is determined whether the appointment with which time of receipt138 is associated is designated as audible or inaudible. If theappointment with which time of receipt 138 is associated with hasspeaker icon 114 associated with it, then the method proceeds to step590 and an audible sound will emanate from speaker 36. If however, theappointment with which time of receipt 138 is associated with has“no-speaker” icon 108 associated with it, then the method proceeds tostep 595 and a flashing light 180 will emanate from LED indicator 40. Inthe case of email 178, since appointment 104 is associated with“no-speaker” icon 108, the method advances to step 595 and referring nowto FIG. 11, flashing light 180 will emanate from LED indicator 40. Atthis point method 500 ends. There may be a variety of ways to cancel theoutput from LED indicator 40 by, for example, using exit key 46 andpressing inward on exit key 46 along arrow A.

To further illustrate method 500, an additional example is helpful. Letus assume that device 20 receives another email 182 at 12:30 p.m., asshown in FIG. 12. Following the steps of method 500 outlined above, atstep 555, time of receipt 138 is determined to be 12:30 p.m. At step560, and referring now to FIG. 13, it would be determined that time ofreceipt 138 is during appointment 112 and hence method 500 proceeds tostep 580. At step 580, and still referring to FIG. 13, it will bedetermined that appointment 112 is associated with speaker icon 114.Hence the method proceeds to step 590, and as illustrated in FIG. 14, asound 184 emanates from speaker 36. Method 500 ends. Similar to theexample above, there may be a variety of ways to cancel the output fromspeaker 36 by, for example, using exit key 46 and pressing inward onexit key 46 along arrow A.

To help even further in illustrating method 500, it will be assumed thatdevice 20 receives yet another email 186 at 2:00 p.m., as shown in FIG.15. As demonstrated in the flow chart in FIG. 8, information is receivedby device 20 at step 550. In the case of the present example, andreferring now to FIG. 15, the information received is email 186. At step555, the time of receipt 138 of the information is determined. Referringnow to FIG. 15, time of receipt 138 of email 186, is determined to be2:00 p.m. At this point, method 500 advances to step 560 where it isdetermined whether time of receipt 138 is during any of appointmentsmarked in calendar 70. If time of receipt 138 is during one of suchappointments, the method then advances to step 580. If, however, time ofreceipt 138 is not during any of these times, the method advances tostep 570. In connection with email 186, and referring now to FIG. 16, itis determined that time of receipt 138 is not during any of theappointments in calendar 70 and the method advances to step 570. At step570, the default notification in notification setup 74 is determined. Ifthe mode of notification is set to audible mode 116, the method wouldproceed to step 590 and sound 184 would emanate from speaker 36. If, onthe other hand, the mode of notification was set to inaudible mode 120,the method would proceed to step 595 and flashing light 180 wouldemanate from LED indicator 40. For the purposes of the example withemail 186, it is assumed that notification setup 74 is configured asshown in FIG. 5. Referring back to FIG. 5, because checkmark 124 isassociated with audible mode 116 the default mode of notification isaudible. The method, thus, proceeds to step 590 and sound 184 emanatesfrom speaker 36.

Although, in the above examples, the information received at step 550 ofmethod 500 were incoming emails 178, 182 and 186, it will be understoodthat information received at step 550 could be any type of informationincluding an alarm from daily alarm 86. If for example, “Time” 170 wasset to a time during appointment 104, light 180 would emanate from LEDindicator 40. Similarly if, “Time” 170 was set to a time duringappointment 112, sound 184 would emanate from speaker 36 and if, “Time”170 was set to a time outside of either appointments 104 or 112, sound184 would emanate from speaker 36.

Referring now to FIG. 17, an electronic device for modifyingnotifications in accordance with another embodiment is indicatedgenerally at 20 a. Device 20 a is substantially the same as device 20and like elements of device 20 a bear the same reference characters, butfollowed by the suffix “a”. Device 20 a is shown in FIG. 17 displayingdifferent notification profiles 110 a using the application callednotification setup 74 a. However, unlike notification setup 74 where theonly choices for notification were audible and inaudible, notificationsetup 74 a, allows users to customize their methods of notification.Notification setup 74 a comprises a plurality of notification profiles110 a, which in the present embodiment have been labeled Quiet 200,Discreet 204, and Loud 212. Each of these profiles 110 a can becustomized by the manufacturer or by the user according to userpreference. Profiles 10 a can also be deleted and additional profilescan be added as desired. Table I shows how each profile 110 a can becustomized.

TABLE I An Example of Customizing Methods of Notification Mode ofNotification (Profiles 110a) Application Notification Behavior QuietMessage Reader Type: Inaudible 200 Tune: None Volume: Mute Daily AlarmType: Audible Tune: Ring 2 Volume: Low Discreet Message Reader Type:Audible & Inaudible 204 Tune: Ring 3 Volume: Medium Daily Alarm Type:Audible Tune: Ring 1 Volume: Low Loud Message Reader Type: Audible 212Tune: Ring 5 Volume: High Daily Alarm Type: Audible Tune: Ring 6 Volume:High

Referring now to FIG. 17, checkmark 124 a, located beside the profileDiscreet 204, indicates that the default mode of notification for thepresent example is Discreet 204. Trackwheel 44 a can be used to scrollthrough the different profiles 110 a and to select a particular profile110 a. Notification setup 24 a can also be used to customize eachprofile 110 a.

As illustrated in Table I, each profile can give rise to a differentnotification output for various applications on device 20 a, andnotification behavior can be customized according to a variety ofcriteria, such as “type”, “tune” and “volume”. “Type” can be eitheraudible or inaudible. Audible means a sound emanating from speaker 36 aand inaudible means a light flashing from LED indicator 40 a. “Tune” canbe any tune chosen by the manufacturer or the user and programmed intodevice 20 a. This is the tune that would be played by speaker 36 a when“type” is set to audible. “Volume” determines the volume of the tune andin the present embodiment can be low, medium or high.

In operation, during appointment 104 a, the profile Quiet 200 would bein effect. Referring now to FIG. 17 a, the application calendar 70 a hasa series of appointments 100 a. Appointment 104 a is associated with theprofile Quiet 200, and appointment 112 a is associated with the profileLoud 212. It should now be apparent that whereas in device 20, eachcalendar appointment 100 had either a “speaker icon” 108 or a“no-speaker icon” 114 associated with it, in device 20 a, eachappointment, can have a particular profile 110 a associated with it,instead. This is illustrated in FIG. 17 a, where appointment 104 a isassociated with the profile Quiet 200 and appointment 112 a isassociated with the profile Loud 212.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that Table I is just oneexample of the way in which notifications can be customized.Furthermore, the specific types, tunes and volumes outlined in Table Iare not particularly limited. Also the list of specific applicationsassociated with each mode is not particularly limited and can match thecomplete set of applications on device 20 a.

As seen in Table I, if message reader 82 a was to receive an emailduring appointment 104 a which is associated with the profile Quiet, theoutput notification would be inaudible, with no tune or volume and lightwould emanate from LED indicator 40 a. Similarly, if daily alarm 86 awas to go off during appointment 104 a, the output notification would bea low volume sound corresponding to a tune called “ring 2”, emanatingfrom speaker 36 a.

In another embodiment, and referring now to FIG. 18, an electronicdevice for modifying notifications in accordance with another embodimentis indicated generally at 20 b. Device 20 b is substantially the same asdevice 20 a and like elements of device 20 a and device 20 b will bearthe same reference characters, but followed by the suffix “b” instead ofsuffix “a”. In FIG. 18, device 20 b is shown with a main menu screen 66b, displaying an application called profile string matcher 230, as wellas calendar 70 b, notification setup 74 b, message reader 82 b and dailyalarm 86 b.

Referring now to FIG. 19, device 20 b is shown displaying a list ofstrings 234, associated with a different notification profile 110 b,using the application called profile string matcher 230. List 234contains a plurality of individual strings 238, 242 and 250, eachassociated with a notification profile 110 b. As illustrated in FIG. 19string 238 is the word “meeting” and is associated with the profile“Quiet” 200 b. String 242 is the word “movie” and is associated with theprofile “Discreet” 204 b. Finally string 250 is the word “home” and isassociated with the profile “Loud” 212 b.

Referring now to FIG. 20, device 20 b is shown displaying the day'sschedule 100 b for Feb. 1, 2000 using the application called calendar 70b on display 28 b. Schedule 100 b includes a plurality of individualappointments 260 and 264. As illustrated in FIG. 20, appointment 260 is“weekly meeting”, from 4:00-5:00 p.m., and appointment 264 is “dinnerwith Bill”, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Calendar 70 b also displays a clock 68 bthat shows the current date and time.

A method for modifying notifications in accordance with anotherembodiment will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart shownin FIG. 21 and is indicated generally at 500 b. In order to assist inthe explanation of method 500 b, reference will be made to the foregoingdiscussion of device 20 b. In order to further assist in the explanationof method 500 b, the sequence of steps in method 500 b shall be followedin connection to a series of examples using device 20 b. In theseexamples, it will be assumed that device 20 b receives a series ofemails at different times during the day.

As demonstrated in the flow chart in FIG. 21, emails are received bydevice 20 b at step 550 b. In one example, and referring now to FIG. 22,it is to be assumed that one of the emails received by device 20 a isemail 278. Email 278 is sent by Andrea Lee at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2000and is not marked urgent. At step 555 b, the time of receipt 138 b ofthe information is determined. Referring now to FIG. 22, time of receipt138 b of email 278 is determined to be 4:30 p.m. At this point, themethod advances to step 560 b where it is determined whether time ofreceipt 138 b is during any of the appointments marked in calendar 70 b.If time of receipt 138 b is during one of such appointments, the methodthen advances to step 580 b. However, if time of receipt 138 b is notduring any of these appointments, the method advances to step 570 b. Inconnection with email 278, and referring now to FIG. 23, it isdetermined that time of receipt 138 b is during appointment 260. Themethod, thus, advances to step 580 b. At step 580 b, the mode ofnotification according to a profile selected from notification setup 74b is determined.

Step 580 b “select output according to profile associated withappointment” of method 500 b can be performed in a variety of ways, oneexample of which is demonstrated in a number of sub-steps in FIG. 24. Atstep 581 b, it is determined whether the appointment, with which time ofreceipt 138 b is associated, includes any of the strings on list 234 ofprofile string matcher 230, outlined in FIG. 19. If the description ofthe appointment includes one of the strings on list 234, the methodadvances to step 582 b, where the type of notification corresponding tothe matched string is determined. If, on the other hand, the descriptionof the appointment does not include one of the strings on list 234, themethod advanced to step 570 b, where the mode of notification is definedaccording to the default mode of notification per notification setup 74b.

Referring now back to FIG. 23, at step 581 b, it is determined that thedescription of appointment 260 includes one of the strings on list 234.The method then advances to step 582 b where “weekly meeting” containsthe word “meeting”, which matches string 238. The method then advancesto step 584 b where, referring now to FIG. 25, it is determined that thenotification profile associated with string 238 is the profile Quiet 200b. Once the notification profile is determined, the method then advancesto step 585 b where notification behavior is determined. For thepurposes of this example, it is assumed that the modes of notificationin this embodiment have been defined in accordance with Table I. In thecase of the profile Quiet 200 b, when there is an email received bymessage reader 82 b, the notification is described as inaudible, with notune or volume. Accordingly, at step 590 b light emanates from LEDindicator 40, indicating the receipt of email 278. Method 500 b thenends.

Method 500 b will thus operate according to the receipt of differentemails and during different appointments. For example, and referring nowto FIGS. 26 and 27, it will be assumed that device 20 b receives email286 at 6:30 pm, which is during appointment 264. Since appointment 264does not contain any of the strings on list 234, then during theperformance of method 500 b the method will advance to step 570 b anddevice 20 b will rely on the default notification profile establishedaccording to notification setup 74 b. Assuming that notification setup74 b is similar to notification setup 74 a and is set to the profileDiscreet 204 as illustrated in FIG. 17, the method advances to step 590b where device 20 b generates output according to specifications of theprofile Discreet 204 in Table I and results in a flashing of light fromLED indicator 40 and a medium volume sound corresponding to a tunecalled “ring 3” from speaker 36.

To further illustrate, and referring now to FIGS. 28 and 29, it isassumed that device 20 b receives yet another email 290 at 8:30 p.m.,which is not during any of the appointments in schedule 100 b. By now itshould be apparent to the reader that, devise 20 b would go through eachof steps 550 b to 560 b of method 500 b to determine that time ofreceipt 8:30 is not during any of the appointments in calendar 70 b. Themethod would then advance to step 570 where output is selected accordingto the profile selected in notification setup 74 b. Assuming as we didbefore that notification setup 74 b is similar to and is set up as innotification setup 74 a, the receipt of email 290 results in a flashingof light from LED indicator 40 and a medium volume sound correspondingto a tune called “ring 3” from speaker 36.

In general it should now be apparent that instead of a user specificallyhaving to configure a different notification for every individualappointment or for every criteria within that individual appointment,rules can be established by a user, or the manufacturer of the device,such that the device recognizes certain keywords or strings within thedescription of the individual appointment, and/or within the descriptionof information received by the device and signals a particular method ofnotification. For example the electronic device can be configured to besilent during all appointments that contain the word “business meeting”or “movies” and to signal/beep quietly when the appointment is over. Atthe same time, it could, also, be configured to vibrate if theinformation received is an email or voicemail marked urgent within anyappointments which contain the words “business meeting” or “movies” inthe description of the appointment.

While the embodiments discussed herein are directed to specificembodiments, it will be understood that subsets and variations of theembodiments are within the scope of the invention. For example, it is tobe understood that the receiving of emails is merely an example of anapplication that can generate a notification. Other examples ofinformation that can be received by a device include, telephone calls,faxes, voice-mail messages, notification of appointments, daily alarmnotifications, warning messages from the device in connection to itsoperation, such as “low battery” messages, or any other set ofinformation for which a notification may be of use.

It is also contemplated that notifications can consist of a variety ofaudible, inaudible, vibrating and combinations of audible, inaudible andvibrating modes of notification. Audible modes of notification caninclude software sounds with a plurality of different frequencies andpitch. They can consist of different melodies and songs or they can beconnected to the radio amongst many other possibilities. Similarlyinaudible modes of notification include a variety of possibilities, suchas a plurality of vibrations with varying intensities, plurality ofcolors of flashing and non-flashing lights and pop-up screens on thedisplays of computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants and etc.The different modes of notification, or combinations thereof can bepredefined by the manufacturer of the electronic device or arbitrarilyselected and added on by the user.

It is also contemplated that an electronic device can be configured touse different modes of notification depending on a variety of criteria.For example an electronic device can be configured to have one mode ofnotification if emails are received during a particular calendar eventand a second mode of notification if the alarm goes off or a voice mailis received during the same calendar event. An electronic device couldbe further configured to have a different mode of notification if theemail or voicemail is marked urgent or if the voice mail is from acertain person or area code. An electronic device could be configured tosimply shut off all modes of notification during certain appointmentsand/or it could be configured to notify the user of receiving theinformation after the appointment is over. In general, an electronicdevice could be configured to have different modes of notification fordifferent calendar events and even within each calendar event, theelectronic device can be configured to have different modes ofnotification based on a plurality of other criteria, such as the type ofinformation received, when and during which calendar event theinformation was received, by whom the information was received, whetherthe information was marked urgent or whether the information wasreceived with certain other attributes.

In general, it is contemplated that rules can be established based onany type of information related to an individual appointment orinformation received by the device. For example, the electronic devicecan be configured to vibrate softly during all appointments between 6:00p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and to be silent regardless of what type ofinformation is received between 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., unless theinformation is a long distant phone call from a predefined person, inwhich case the device could ring loudly.

It is also contemplated that the device could change its method ofnotification based on the physical orientation of the device, such aswhether it has a clamp shell that is opened or closed or whether it isbeing placed on a user's belt or on a device crib. For example, a devicecould be configured to vibrate softly if the device is out of the cradleand to have the LED indicator flashing when the device is in the cradle.

1. An electronic device comprising: at least one output device foremitting a plurality of different signals; a microcomputer forprocessing a plurality of calendar appointments within a calendarapplication; said microcomputer further configured for processing aplurality of applications; said microcomputer configured to maintain aplurality of profiles; each of said calendar appointments configured tohave a different profile associated therewith; each of said profilesassociated with all of said applications; each of said applicationswithin each of said profiles having a plurality of notificationbehaviours; each of said notification behaviours having an identical setof parameters for each of said applications; each of said notificationbehaviours uniquely configurable for each said application and each saidprofile; said microcomputer configured to maintain a profile settingsapplication; said profile settings application configured to receiveuser input for setting said notification behaviours for each of saidapplications for each said profile according to criteria comprised oftype, tune and volume; said profile settings application including aprofile string matcher; said profile string matcher configured tocomprise a string of text and associate said string of text with one ofsaid profiles; wherein at least one of said calendar appointments isconfigured to have a profile associated therewith based on a matchbetween a description of said at least one calendar appointment and saidstring of text within said profile string matcher; wherein in theabsence of a match between said description and said string of text,said calendar appointment is configured to have a default profileassociated therewith; said microcomputer configured to derive one ofsaid notification behaviours when one of said applications executesduring one of said plurality of calendar appointments; said notificationbehaviour derived from said associated profile; said microcomputerconfigured to cause said output device to emit one of said signalscorresponding to said notification behaviour derived from saidassociated profile.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein saiddevice is selected from the group consisting of a wireless personaldigital assistant, a personal computer, a cell telephone, and a smarttelephone.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said signals areselected from the group consisting of audible, mechanical and visualsignals.
 4. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said one of saidapplications is a receipt of an electronic message and said signalidentifies said receipt.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1 whereinsaid one of said applications is a daily alarm and said signalidentifies said alarm.
 6. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein saidelectronic device includes functionality of a telephone and one of saidplurality of applications is a receipt of a telephone call.
 7. Theelectronic device of claim 1 wherein said output devices include aflashing LED output device for emitting a visual signal and a speakerfor emitting an audible signal.
 8. A computer-readable storage mediumcontaining a set of instructions for an electronic device, said set ofinstructions for controlling said electronic device by comprising themethod of: maintaining a plurality of profiles; processing a pluralityof calendar appointments within a calendar application; performing oneof a plurality of applications during one of said plurality of calendarappointments; each of said calendar appointments configured to have adifferent profile associated therewith; each of said profiles associatedwith all of said applications; each of said applications within each ofsaid profiles having a plurality of notification behaviours; each ofsaid notification behaviours having an identical set of parameters foreach of said applications; each of said notification behaviours uniquelyconfigurable for each said application and each said profile;maintaining a profile settings application; said profile settingsapplication configured to maintain said notification behaviours for eachof said applications for each said profile according to criteriacomprised of type, tune and volume; said profile settings applicationincluding a profile string matcher; said profile string matcherconfigured to comprise a string of text; said string of text associatedwith one of said profiles; at least one of said calendar appointmentsconfigurable to have a profile associated therewith based on a matchbetween a description of said at least one calendar appointment and saidstring of text within said profile string matcher; wherein in theabsence of a match between said description and said string of text,said calendar appointment is configured to have a default profileassociated therewith; deriving a notification behaviour from saidprofile associated with the calendar appointment that is active whenperforming said application; and generating a signal according to saidnotification behaviour.